


play hearts, kid, they work well

by pepperchoy



Series: stay with me, go places [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempt at Humor, Calamity Ganon Never Happened, Conflict, First Meetings, Light-Hearted, Link Just Wants To Help, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Relationship, Revali (Legend of Zelda) Being an Asshole, They have different professions now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:40:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27718988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pepperchoy/pseuds/pepperchoy
Summary: His eyes darted up to look into the stranger’s. Somehow bluer than the elixir. More refreshing than a jump into cold water. And full of concern mixed with… pity.Well that won’t do.----------------------------------------------------The boys are not related to the events of BOtW or AoC, they're just your regular citizens travelling the world of Hyrule and stumbling into each other much too often than they'd like. Unless...?
Relationships: Link/Revali (Legend of Zelda)
Series: stay with me, go places [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2027456
Comments: 5
Kudos: 51





	play hearts, kid, they work well

He could not possibly feel guilty for getting himself in this mess as it has not been _entirely_ his fault. He hung onto this thought as he sat in the pathetic excuse of a shade inside some ancient creature’s skeleton, pushing away thoughts about his own upcoming demise. He refused to admit his defeat, preferring to shift his emotions into anger.

_Adventurers._ Good for nothing excuses of actual warriors. Chasing after gold and adrenaline. Not a single brain cell left clanking around in their empty skulls.

The information he had received on the Gerudo desert has been inaccurate. This was the only explanation. Someone wanted him to get lost. This thought left another bitter taste in the form of a realization that someone managed to trick him, and now he would pay for it with his life.

He wanted to scoff, hit the ground in frustration or express his anger in some way, but decided against it for the sake of saving his strength. It was not even noon yet, as far as he could tell, long ways to go till sunset. If only he had studied the maps more closely.

His informants -a group of adventurers who have _supposedly_ travelled this land many times- gave him faulty coordinates that slowed down his journey -sure, the desert itself was easy enough to find, being vastly spread for miles and miles with the sand storms reaching altitudes that made them visible from distant mountain tops- but the town itself might as well have been the size of a grain of wheat.

He spent a whole day flying from his village to the desert and did not bother resting, as he has fully expected to be in the town by sunrise. But the longer he flew over the desert, the more unease settled somewhere in his stomach. The desert was empty save for the occasional voltfruit tree or a silhouette of a sleeping monster. No lights, no people, no paths that could point him in the right direction.

Eventually the exhaustion started settling in. His wings became heavier and moving them was quickly becoming near impossible. As the sun crept up higher in the sky, the heat started becoming more unbearable and his vision got shaky and unreliable. The wind picked up as well, creating clouds of sand that successfully hid from him the ground below. The Rito prided themselves on their flying abilities, Revali himself being recognized as an unofficial master in air manoeuvres, however the unrelenting weather of the Gerudo Desert had a good chance at taking that title away from him.

With the last clear thought he had, he recognized that he couldn’t keep this pace up and decided to lower himself to the ground. At this point, it didn’t matter whether he was walking or flying- for the first time in his life, he was at an equal disadvantage no matter which one he picked. The deciding factor was the unbearable heaviness in his wings.

The one blessing of this day was finding that cursed skeleton early on in his walk. He would never admit to anyone else the happiness he felt upon seeing a bit of shade big enough to collapse in. As far as anyone was concerned, he reached the town a few hours into his journey with no bigger issues. Grand adventures do not start with pathetic beginnings.

Which was how he felt now, a few hours later, leaning on a bone of an impossibly large creature and occasionally scooting a few inches to the side every time the sun moved. The heat was still unbearable and his body heavy, dehydrated, and lifeless. He just had to last until sunset, the temperature would lower, he would have more strength and visibility and it would all be downhill from there. Surely the town was just behind a particularly intense dust storm that would settle when the wind slowed down.

Even he had difficulties believing himself.

Revali opened his eyes and turned his head upwards. The sky was made up of blue waves, retreating and forwarding before his very eyes. Did that make him a fish? Well, at least at this very moment he wouldn’t mind being at the bottom of a particularly deep sea. Fish or not.

He saw a shape move into his field of vision. Another fish? No, it was walking on land. The same land he was sitting on- oh right, this place was the very opposite of a sea. And the not-fish was getting closer and closer to him.

In fact, the nearer it got, the more details he could make out:

  * A Hylian, male, as far as he could discern.
  * Light clothing exposing his… _well-maintained_ body, Gerudo style, if he wasn’t mistaken.
  * A small backpack strapped to his back, various items loudly clanking with every step he took. A merchant, perhaps?
  * Blonde hair pulled up in a high ponytail. How we wished he could do that with his feathers right now.
  * Blue eyes the same shade as the sky over the flight range on a particularly nice summer day.
  * A hand extended in his direction, holding something in its grasp.



Oh.

His gaze moved downwards to examine the item. A vial with a blue sparkly liquid splashing around.

His eyes darted up to look into the stranger’s. Somehow bluer than the elixir. More refreshing than a jump into cold water. And full of concern mixed with… pity.

That won’t do.

Revali swallowed the last bit of saliva left in his throat and scoffed, turning his head sideways.

“Splendid” Dammit, his dry throat made his voice sound faint. He coughed, trying to bring some of his vigour back to it. “A _hero_ to save me, a damsel, from the distress I found myself in. Oh how will I ever repay such kindness. Is what I would say if I _needed_ your assistance.” His eyes darted back to the Hylian, trying his best to send daggers through the man’s skull. “Thankfully for the both of us, I have the situation perfectly under control. So you can move on with your silly little quest and leave me alone. All I wanted was a bit of privacy, but it looks like little pests like you will find their way into every corner of the earth.”

He closed his eyes and leaned back against the bone with another scoff, not waiting for the Hylian’s reaction. His head spun around in circles at the sudden movements and he struggled to keep his last meal down in his stomach, as it started to creep up his throat.

Pity. The last thing he needed right now was pity. He managed the situation perfectly by himself.

He didn’t hear the Hylian walk away. Upon opening his eyes, he realized that the man has not moved one inch. His brows, however, have furrowed and his stare was now stubborn and slightly irritated. Much better.

“Has the heat evaporated your brain? Do I have to make myself clearer? _Leave. Me. Alone._ Go play saviour somewhere else, little hero. I have no time nor patience for your theatrics.” He wanted to sound impatient, however he found his throat sounding weaker and weaker by the second. The last sentence was merely a whisper for which he cursed himself internally. This was the nightmare scenario, still he refused to give the man the satisfaction of being right.

With his voice being no longer of use, he squinted at the man and waved him off, trying to shoo him away as if he was a homeless cat.

The stranger only rolled his eyes and stepped closer to Revali. _The nerve!_ The Rito opened his mouth to send another flurry of curses at the man, when he shook his head and extended the potion in front of his face.

Revali’s eyes lingered on the liquid for three seconds too long. The longer he stared at it, the more he knew he had lost the fight. It looked heavenly, like a mountain lake locked in a bottle, a pair of stubborn eyes, a sacred pond no one is allowed to bathe in.

Hell with it.

He could always explain himself saying he just wanted to moisturise his throat in order to scold the man more properly.

Right?

Either way, he was not going to give the man the satisfaction of saving him. If anything, he’d make him regret ever deciding to help him.

He rolled his eyes in the most obnoxious way he could manage and sighed deeply as he took the vial from the man. He pretended not to notice the flash of satisfaction that went through the Hylian’s eyes and uncorked the potion, downing half of it in one gulp.

Stars explodes in front of his eyes. He saw all of existence, all at once. The physical embodiments of love and hatred and the meaning of life. It was as if The Goddess herself stepped down from the sky and slapped him across the face.  
He felt his energy come back to him, his body cool down beneath his feathers, making him feel more alive than he has ever been in his entire life. He never partook in the usage of stimulants but he assumed this felt like taking all of them at once.

He forced his tail to stay still and tightened his throat desperate not to let any chattering come through. No matter how ecstatic he felt, he mustn’t let the Hylian feel too happy with himself.

He decided to ignore the feeling of his pupils rapidly changing shape. As far as the man knew, this was regular Rito behaviour and not a point of interest.

Feeling decidedly more vigorous, Revali chuckled and set the half-empty vial on the ground next to him. He crossed his wings and looked at the Hylian, his usual pride and arrogance back and flowing through his entire being.

“There. Will you leave me alone now that I have entertained your ego? You approached a stranger and forced your will on them, good for you, _little hero._ I never needed saving, just to let you know, I was merely taking a short break before moving forward. But bravo, another good deed on your good boy list. Why don’t you write it down in your journal and feel proud of yourself?” He raised one eyebrow and smirked, feeling his spirits return with every venom-soaked word he threw at the Hylian. “If I could have one favour to ask, oh mighty champion, is that you omit this incident when retelling your grand adventures to a crowd of enamoured fans. Wouldn’t be fair to your listeners if you told them lies about saving the great Revali from dying in the desert. If you must share this story, I’d prefer you admitted to approaching a stranger in the middle of nowhere and forcing them to drink an unknown fluid with no witnesses in sight. Now, I’d greatly appreciate if you’d take your exit and left me alone, like I asked time and time again. I’ve granted your wish, now you grant mine. That’s how it works.” His smirk turned sour as a means of underlining his words as he stared at the Hylian, challenging him to defend himself. Or to storm off without saying a word.

To his frustration, the Hylian didn’t do either.

Instead, he walked over to a bone next to Revali's and settled himself down. As he passed by the Rito, a hint of a smile played on his features. _Why this…!_  
The man took off his backpack and pulled out a journal and started sketching in it.

Revali couldn’t believe his eyes.

He looked around, trying to understand what could possibly be drawing the man to this place more than Revali was driving him away.

With his vision now clearer, it was easier to spot just how actually big the skeleton they were leaning on was. It was much longer than he initially thought, with a huge bulky part at the end where must have been the creature’s head. Comparing the Rito to it was like comparing a butterfly to a bear.  
This must have been the reason why the Hylian ever ventured here in the first place- the skeleton was fascinating, a creature out of myths become a fact.

Suddenly Revali felt the need to pull out his own journal and start describing the history he was witnessing before his very eyes, the shape of the shadows cast down by the skeletal remains and how they created their own stories for thousands of years after the creature has passed. What kind of a monster was it? How did the world look like in its times? Did it die naturally or was there something even bigger that killed it? How many people have been here since then and what were their fantasies?

His fingers itched to grab the supplies but he couldn’t let the Hylian think he was the reason for his sudden inspiration. Instead, his grip on his own arms tightened as he turned his head away, willing to wait out the man’s presence. Surely he’d sketch the creature and leave, allowing Revali to have his own moment of artistic expression.

***

This did not happen without a few bumps along the way. The man took much longer than Revali expected, as he had to take two meal breaks and one nap. At this rate, it was nearing evening and the man still showed no signs of leaving. So, Revali didn’t either. After all, he had told the man he knows the way and was just taking a short break. He couldn’t just fly off in the wrong direction.

And so he waited. During the Hylian’s nap he wrote down the most important thoughts he intended to elaborate on later once he had a proper meal and a rest. He just needed the man to leave and by doing so, point him towards the town.

Which, the Hylian, almost stubbornly refused to do. He seemed perfectly at ease and comfortable in the heat of the desert sun, snacking on his many rations and approaching the skeleton from different angles to get accurate proportions. Other than the few amused glances, he ignored the Rito’s presence as if he were no more than a lizard sunbathing on a stone. So Revali didn’t acknowledge him either. And so passed many hours, in which the Rito felt himself go crazy from the unbearable boredom and frustration. Though the blonde parading around in revealing clothing somehow eased his annoyance.

He was considering knocking the man out for the fifth time today when the Hylian stretched his arms above his head and started packing up his supplies. Revali’s heartbeat picked up. _Finally!_

He shifted in his seat as he turned his gaze to the unwanted company. He made snarky comments about the man for a while after he had settled in, hoping he would eventually break and leave- which obviously never happened. If anything, Revali had a feeling they only prompted him to stay here longer. Eventually he stopped bothering and stayed silent, hoping that would have a stronger effect on the man- but, the Hylian being a man of _no words_ himself, didn’t seem at all fazed by that either. Whatever kind of a mystery he was, Revali definitely wouldn’t let his departure go by unnoticed.

“Are you not even going to ask me for a reward as a thank you for rescuing me? I thought that’s all you adventurers were after.” The man kept his back turned to Revali ignoring his words, however there was a noticeable change in the shade of his ears. _Aha._ “Well let me ruin that fantasy for you. I never asked for your help, if anything, it was clearly unwanted. And before you even think about robbing me, I don’t have any valuables on my person right now. You can go on about your day as scheduled, _little hero_. Goddess knows you have bothered mine enough. Do think twice about approaching strangers who clearly want nothing to do with you the next time this situation happens, won’t you? Many may not be as forgiving as me.” He made point of looking at the stranger as he hid away his supplies and put on his backpack. His confronting stare was ready to meet the other, now knowing the man communicated more with his facial expressions rather than words.

The expression he did not expect to encounter was one of… anticipation? The Hylian put on his backpack and now was standing in front of Revali, expecting the other to get up as well. He adorned a soft smile, not taking any of the comments thrown his way seriously.

The Rito felt his blood boil.

“Which part of “leave me alone” gave you the idea I was waiting for you to finish your scribbling?” He hissed as much as his biology allowed him to. He felt his feathers ruff up and stand on their ends as the anger coursed through his veins. Getting up from his position, he straightened his back, intending to intimidate the other man, which in reality didn’t produce the desired result as he was not that much taller than the Hylian. Still, what he lacked in height, he made up in posture. Leaning closer to the man’s face, he continued his insult. “ _Leave,_ little Hylian, and I’m saying this in the simplest way possible so that even you can’t misinterpret it. I want nothing to do with you and after you go, I hope we never cross paths ever again, for your own sake.” He gritted and was pleased to see the message has finally gotten through.

The Hylian took a step back and slowly nodded. He turned away on his heel and briefly, Revali could see a downcast look cross his face. Before he had the opportunity to feel guilty, the man wandered off into the night.

Revali took a minute to calm down before attempting to analyse the incident. No matter how much he thought it over, the conclusion was simple, and frustrating- his outburst was uncalled for. The Hylian misinterpreted his intentions- he thought they were pretty clear from the start, however he supposed there was a way to see them in a different light. If you’re particularly daft, that is- and the man certainly looked the part. Either way, he did not have to go as far as to outright threaten him right in his face.

He could catch up to the man and apologise to him. _Scratch that_ , no, never. He couldn’t go back on what he said minutes after it happened. It was already written down and as much as he wanted to, he couldn’t change the past.

Revali sighed and stretched his wings, internally promising to make it up to the man if he ever saw him again, _instead of_ murdering him on sight. The silent Hylian should be thankful, really. 

Kneeling down on the ground, he felt the sand against his feathers and hoped this would be the last time he had to visit this hellscape. With that thought, he took off flying after the blue-eyed silhouette.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Hi! Haven't done this in a while, forgive me if I'm a bit rusty.
> 
> I had this idea that wouldn't leave my head so now I'm here, presenting it to you all and hoping it will be worth your time. Instead of writing a consistent, linear story, I've decided to focus on writing scenes happening within it- the plot will progress and there will be, hopefully, some character development, but I don't intend on this being a 30 chapter novel. Just, a collection of meetings with not much filler material. All will be revealed in time, I hope, at this point I am about as lost as you are lol. 
> 
> Also please don't think too hard about the geography or the hours I've presented shhhh
> 
> So! Here's to hoping there will be more to this story than this one chapter I wrote, hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Work title is from the song "Go Places" by The New Pornographers, I highly recommend it A+ vibes


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